Chicago Bears predicted to part ways with 21-touchdown star for salary cap savings
The Chicago Bears had a Renaissance season in 2025, in large part due to the change they made at head coach. Ben Johnson took a team that finished 5-12 in 2024 and led them to an 11-6 record in 2025. They won the NFC north, were the second seed in the NFC, and knocked the hated Green Bay Packers out of the NFL Playoffs.
A new weapon that emerged for Johnson and the Bears offense was rookie tight end Colston Loveland, whom they selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. And while many outside of Chicago criticized taking a tight end so high, the move more than worked out for them. He had 58 receptions for 713 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie, and just scratched the surface of what he can be in the NFL.
However, his emergence likely spells the end of line for another tight end: Cole Kmet.
The Chicago Bears can save over $8 million by parting ways with Cole Kmet
It is fairly well-known that Chicago has some holes on their roster that they need to fill. However, it also well-known that they currently do not have the salary cap space to sign their upcoming draft class, much less address their needs in free agency.
Therefore, the Bears are going to have to make some cuts to their roster, and Kmet seems like a likely cut candidate based on his declining production and salary:
“Near the top of the list is entertaining the idea of parting ways with Cole Kmet via trade after a breakout season from rookie tight end Colston Loveland. From the moment the Bears drafted Loveland, it seemed that Kmet was on borrowed time, and now it makes sense to go ahead and part ways with the pass catcher, opening up further cap space.”
Over the last three seasons, Kmet’s production has declined greatly:
| Year | Receptions | Receiving Yards |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 73 | 719 |
| 2024 | 47 | 474 |
| 2025 | 30 | 347 |
Clearly, quarterback Caleb Williams has much more rapport with Loveland than Kmet, as evidenced by the table above.
What is more, Kmet is set to carry a salary cap hit of $11.6 million. However, he has a dead cap hit of just $3.2 million, which means the Bears can save $8.4 million by either trading Kmet or outright releasing him.
Obviously, trading him would be the preferred outcome because Chicago can get some draft compensation in return and, to an extent, control where he goes, ensuring he does not join a rival team.
However, NFL teams may suspect that they will release Kmet anyway and wait for him to hit the open market.
Either way, it does not seem likely that he will be back with the Bears next season. If this is the end of the road for Kmet with Chicago, he will end his tenure with the team with 2,939 career receiving yards and 21 touchdowns.
More Chicago Bears news from ChiCity Sports
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- Bears QB Caleb Williams turns heads after Drake Maye’s Super Bowl LX performance
For More Chicago Sports
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks
The post Chicago Bears predicted to part ways with 21-touchdown star for salary cap savings appeared first on ChiCitySports.
Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-bears-cole-kmet-salary-cap-casualty-nfl
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